Extravagant gifts | Blog 10 of the 12 blogs of Christmas

I’m always a little bit hesitant to talk love languages, because I have the most selfish-sounding of them all. Because my primary love language is gifts. Which basically boils down to, “If you want to show me that you love me, give me stuff.” It’s kind of embarrassing.

Of course, it means that Christmas has a special place in my heart. Sure, there’s the peppermint mocha coffee goo that I put in my morning joe, the plates of Christmas cookies that are passed around at family gatherings, the unending stream of Christmas music in my car, the rehearsals for church services. These are all wonderful parts of the Christmas experience, and I look forward to them every year.

But what I really love is that, on Christmas morning, I’m going to get a present. It might be something small, it might be something not so small, but there’s going to be some gift sitting under the tree that has my name on it. I will open it, and I will feel loved.

There is just something about receiving a gift that makes me feel treasured. It means that someone was thinking about me even when I wasn’t around. It means that someone knows me well enough to know what will make me laugh or what I will use or what I will enjoy. It means that someone sacrificed something that they could have had for themselves to make me feel special.

It can be easy for me to look at receiving gifts as a strictly selfish thing. But that first Christmas, we were given the most extravagant gift. The Giver thought of us before we even existed. He knew us well enough to know that it was something that we would need every day. And it came at great personal cost.

It’s a gift that God wants each of us to receive.

The gift of Love, made to walk among us.

Let us receive it with arms open wide.

As we contemplate gifts this Christmas season, please consider giving extravagantly to someone in need. World Vision has an amazing Gift Catalog, where you can purchase practical gifts of goats and chickens and ducks that will provide families with milk, cheese, and eggs. You can also make donations to give someone access to clean water or give a woman a loan to start her own small business. There are gifts for every budget and every passion that you may have. No matter what you choose, you will be helping someone make their life better, and that is a gift of love as well.

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Alise is married to her best friend and is the mom to four incredible kids. She loves knitting, writing, playing keyboards in a cover band, and eating soup. You can read her blog at www.alise-write.com.